Taking cognizance of reports that truckers plying on National Highway 39 between Nagaland and Manipur were apprehensive of “major extortion plans” by armed Naga groups, the Centre has directed Manipur and Nagaland to take prompt and firm action against such groups.
“They call it collection of taxes by the underground governments. In any case these are illegal and the elected governments are expected to act against such extortion rackets,” intelligence sources said.
Accordingly, the states have been asked to prepare a probable list of groups who are ‘disturbing” plying of trucks on the route. The extortion drive could jeopardize relations between various ethnic communities in the region, sources said.
The Centre has directed the Manipur government to be equally firm with armed groups indulging in rampant extortion in the valley and other pockets in the state.
The Centre has recently got inputs from security agencies that about 30 militant groups, including major outfits such as United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and People’s Liberation Army (PLA), were operating in the state.
Various Naga militant outfits such as National Socialist Council of Nagaland ~ Isaac Muivah (NSCN-IM) and NSCN-Khaplang (NSCN-K), Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) were also operating in Manipur.
The Centre wants the Manipur government to ensure that the ceasefire announced with various groups including a few Kuki armed militants is not misused to extort common people. Similarly, the Centre has obtained reports from its agencies and the state government that there are as many as eight militant groups including two fundamentalist outfits active in Assam.
“Even these Assam-based groups including ULFA are indulging in extortion. We have to urgently put a check on this,” sources said.
The situation in Nagaland and Manipur was reviewed at a high level meeting attended by the Union home secretary, Mr G K Pillai and the chief secretaries of Nagaland and Manipur today.
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